Megan grew up the youngest of five sisters, so knows a thing or two about speaking up for herself. Before she became a writer, she worked in museums, libraries, and bookstores; she has also made a living as a storyteller and a park ranger. In addition to the best-selling Judy Moody and Stink series, she is the author of three Sisters Club stories, two books about Ant and Honey Bee, and many other books for children. Today we’ll be talking about the latest Judy Moody book, #15 Judy Moody, Book Quiz Whiz.

In this episode Megan and I discuss:

• The personal origins of the Judy Moody books
• The question from kid readers that helped inspire the series
• Tailoring vocabulary for an early reader
• How to keep a story super focused
• Keeping a series fresh, new and exciting for readers

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Megan McDonald

Megan McDonald grew up the youngest of five sisters, so knows a thing or two about speaking up for herself. Before she became a writer, Megan worked in museums, libraries, and bookstores; she has also made a living as a storyteller and a park ranger. In addition to the best-selling Judy Moody and Stink series, she is the author of three Sisters Club stories, two books about Ant and Honey Bee, and many other books for children. She and her husband live in Sebastopol, California.  

Judy Moody, Book Quiz Whiz

The fifteenth book in the Judy Moody book series. 3rd-grader Judy Moody and her friends are prepping for the upcoming Book Quiz Blowout against Braintree Elementary. Do they have what it takes to emerge as champions against a team rumored to have a fourth-grader on it? The book has McDonald’s hallmark humor, fast-pace, and emotional honesty, plus many references to other great books which are sure to get young readers to the library and bookstore.  

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode #278

(Right-click to download.)

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The post Episode 278: Writing for Newly-Independent Readers – Interview with Megan McDonald appeared first on DIY MFA.